The illusion of special features

[SqueakyG]

I want to do a poll about discs that SEEM to have a lot of special features when you read them on paper, but actually amount to hardly anything in reality. Discs that everyone SAYS are feature-packed, but actually just feel like bare-bones discs to you. I call this "the illusion of special features". When you cut away the crap of "multi-angel vignettes", "exclusive DVD-ROM content", "scriptments" and "deleted scenes" that are merely alternate takes of scenes already in the film, you have hardly anything left. Discs I nominate are:

The Matrix
I can't understand why people say this disc is feature-packed. It isn't! You have cast and crew bios (useless), a promotional featurette (useless), and 20 minutes of special-effects documentary... most of which is only accessible at certain points during the film. This adds to 40 minutes of material. After seeing the DVDs of today, NOW would you call that "feature-packed"?

Aliens
Some class this as a feature-loaded disc. But all we have is trailers, 10 minutes of behind-the-scenes (often without sound and completely pointless), some galleries, and an 8-minute interview with James Cameron in which the interviewer says more than Cameron. There is 20-minutes of material here. Poor.


Can anybody list more? I want a list of discs people SAY are feature-packed, but are pretty bare-bones when you simplify, summarise and count up the extra material.

[john316]

Remember that The Matrix is getting on a bit now in the DVD world so it is not very fair to use that as an example.

[APPRIA40WR]

I find most features incredibly boring and flat. For the first <u>ever</u> time I saw someone posting what I've been saying for 2 years over at uk.media.dvd (http://groups.google.co.uk/groups?hl=en&group=uk.media.dvd)

It's extra money for not much extra.

[Madm@tt]

I no longer buy DVDs for extras - ripped off far too many times - and just concentrate on the film and pic/sound quality. Even the most extras laden discs (ie. Star Wars, Terminator 2 and The Abyss) I will only look at a couple of times and then it is just the film I'm intrested in.

I like discs like that of The Thing, it has a delightful commentary; the entire, excellent, score on the menus and a good hour-long documentary... Do you really more than that? Even the Reservoir Dogs DVD has enough bonus material to keep me happy - if you count the easter egg - as it is of such high quality.

I am all for Special Editions Ultimate Editions and reissues but that isn't all DVD is about.


Matt

[APPRIA40WR]

What about that commentary on NBK? :D

[Cornelius]

I agree with the general sentiments here, extras are in the main a waste of space, they don't add one iota to the enjoyment of the film.

For me it's the film thats most important and I tend to look for discs with the best picture and sound. There are of course some exceptions I quite enjoyed the extras on the Bond titles and Ben Hur and some of the extras on some Criterion Discs are worth a second look.

In the main all we get is light weight filler, put together by braindead publicist that doesn't provide any insight into the background to a film.

[Tony Keats]

I agree too!, I've fallen foul of this concept several times. The biggest offender I can think of is Ghostbusters. I've seen countless reviews and comments about how feature-packed it is but only the commentary is actually worth bothering with. Boringly elaborate menu systems don't impress me in the slightest and I could only be less interested in "FX" features if I was clinically dead!.

I got A Knight's Tale a few weeks ago too and that has about 3 pages of extras. Most of them are 3min fluff promo pieces though and they're more irritaing than they are informative. I want lengthy interviews with interesting questions, not useless choppy soundbites.

[Robby]

I think you can add Shrek to your list SqueakyG. Another one of those discs that is raved about but ultimately offers very little unless you 6 years old. I think i maxed out the 2nd disc in about 40 minutes. Very dissapointing. Although i'm hoping the Comm will be worth it.

A recent disc i have liked though was Swordfish. It didn't really promise much in the way of extras but the two featurattes were interesting as were the alternate endings. And the Comm and trailer were a bonus IMO. I like discs like these were you can watch most of the extras in one go. I like looking at extras but with all these 2 discs that keep coming out you have to make time and remember which ones to watch. I've even resorted to writing down which Comms and extra's i have yet to look at.

As for T2 i don't really know where to start i think i'll have to put a day away just to trek through them.

[Drel]

I was disapointed with the extras on The Simpsons boxset, although I haven't listened to the comentaries yet so my opinion may change.

[charlie angel]

To be honest I'd rather have 1 good feature (a decent documentary or sumfink) rather than 2 discs full of padding. Most of the extras I won't bother with more than once anyway.

[SqueakyG]

I truly treasure a good commentary track and documentary. Along with real full deleted scenes, a commentary track and a documentary are all I want. I do actually love a disc with GENUINE special features.

I simplify special features down to what they really are, to cut the crap and sort the genuine from the useless. So if a disc has "40 multi-angle vignettes", I simplify that down to: "30 minutes of documentary, set out in an unnecessarily complicated system".

[petegee]

For your interest This month's Total Film mag has a "Free Supplement" listing the top 50 Best DVDs based on their extras - though reading some of the above comments I suspect some of you will still be disappointed!:D

[Bamse]

Real deleted scenes are the only bonus feature that tickles my fancy.

[APPRIA40WR]

Bamse

Sometimes mate, but if you see the Cape Fear (DeNiro) deleted scenes you'd maybe change your mind. They're bloody awful.

I've prolly seen 2-3 deleted scenes that were excellent (from Ghost Dog is a good example).

Padding.

[Bapapapa]

Give me a decent transfer and a great audio track over extras anyday.

Incidentally, I've just watched a couple of extras from the Total Recall LE, first time I've watched any extra in ages, and it's the first time I've ever seen/heard Verhoeven. Isn't he a bit mad?

:nuts:

[Ridcully]

Understand what you are saying but what I would like to see is some control on what is called an extra. Lets stop this calling subtitles a special feature etc. Its not, its a standard part of the DVD spec.

In fact a bit of standardization on the use of SE, LE, CE, Directors cut and Ultimate would be good. One I'd like to see as standard is all Directors cut have to include both theatrical and directors cuts using seamless branching (UK R2 Stargate and Aliens to name two)

[Bapapapa]

Most of the standard early Warners stuff list Interactive Menus & Scene Index as special features!!

:nuts:

[Narshty]

This is precisely one of the reasons Criterion is my favourite DVD company.

Even though the extras provided aren't always plentiful, they are of a very high quality - measures taken like editing together commentary tracks, almost always consulting the director at every stage and picking carefully which supplements to go on the disc mean there's nary a wasted megabyte on any of their discs.

[stantheman]

Picture and sound over extras I agree in.
But, I am a total believer in extras.
Film fans should be happy at commentaries, making ofs etc.
If it can fit,then put it in.
Ok so some or a lot of them are crap!
These 2 disc editions seem to be with every film these days, but look hard enough and you find eg. POTA, FinalF, Magnolia, DuskTD
etc etc,
for the price of a single disc.
I would much prefer to pay a single disc price and have the option to see the extras.
But an awful lot can be learnt from extras that are good.
As far as I'm concerned a good commentary compares to a while at filmschool(El Mariachi)
Same with a good documentary.(Dusk td,Magnolia)
But I would have to agree that these are far and few between.
There seems to be a growing trend in putting complete crap onto an extra disc.

[charlie angel]

Anything with the words HBO First Look near it would be my first choice to fall off the face of the planet. :brickwall

[tpr007]

Ive been generally impressed with HKL as time goes on.
Bey Logan's excellent commentaries
Real deleted scenes
Decent interviews.

compared to their first efforts HKL have really improved, and hope they continue to do so!

I was a little disappointed with the following:
- Enter the dragon - nice picture, extras ok - but not as good as expected.
- Ct, Hd - no indepth Martial Arts look! PANTS
- Early Warner Bros titles. How dare they release films like Batman, Blade Runner etc.. with Zero extras!!!!?

[kerbcrawler]

On the whole extras are something I will check out once only and never again although I would have to agree with BAMSE as the only extras I am always interested in are deleted scenes.

For me a good example are the deleted scenes on Hannibal. Since I liked both the book and the film I was very interested to see these and hear Ridley's explanation for their exclusion.

Other faves in this arena would be those for NBK (Director's Cut), Alien, Life Of Brian (Criterion - the Shepherds outtake is priceless), and Close Encounters. I can't wait til Fire Walk With Me gets sorted.

A decent documentary is also welcome and I do like to dip in and out of commentaries (although I've yet to sit through an entire commentary).

The best examples of decent extras in my collection would probably be the Criterion editions of The Third Man, Carnival Of Souls, and Haxan and I must admit that I look forward to renting Phantom Menace to see the stuff compiled for that (despite the disappointing movie).

[John Nelson]

I must admit, I always buy DVDs for the film, and the quality of the transfer. Extras come a definite second, although they might influence whether I go for R1, R2 or R4.

That said, I was impressed at New Line's Infinifilm series. The documentaries and commentaries on Blow were very interesting, and I liked the way that you could access this material at various points throughout the film. The "factoid" subtitle track was fascinating - obviously written by someone who's sympathetic to drug users :D

-- J.

[orac]

A superb extras disc set = This is Spinal Tap

[mikegray]

I think once you get over a certain number of DVDs, you get to the point where you haven't got time to watch the special features anyway (or at least I have - I can never find two hours to sit through a commentary tracks unless I *really* want to see it)

I really like the "trivia" track on Legally Blonde - very much like VH-1's "pop up video" type thing where you can watch the film and get lots of pointless trivia while you watch, much like a director's commentary, only less so. [if that makes sense] - the rest of the "features" don't look up to much, but then I don't think I'll ever get round to watching them anyway...

[Michael Brooke]

<B>I think once you get over a certain number of DVDs, you get to the point where you haven't got time to watch the special features anyway </B>

Other way round for me - at the moment, I usually only have time to watch the extras!

[Shingster]

Originally posted by Bapapapa
Incidentally, I've just watched a couple of extras from the Total Recall LE, first time I've watched any extra in ages, and it's the first time I've ever seen/heard Verhoeven. Isn't he a bit mad?
:nuts:

By Paul Verhoeven standards that commentry is quite sane!!! You ought to listen to the Starship Troopers & Robocop commentaries, the bloke's totally out of it!! :nuts:
He may be barking, but there's a strange kind of intelligence there that frightens me!!! :D

[Michael Brooke]

<B>He may be barking, but there's a strange kind of intelligence there that frightens me!!! </B>

In terms of sheer intellectual reach, Dr Verhoeven, to give him his full title (PhD in mathematics from Leiden University in the Netherlands) is probably one of the most intelligent people currently working in Hollywood - which is one of the reasons I find most of his films so entertaining: there's always something going on beneath the surface, usually slipped in under the noses of his studio bosses (<I>Starship Troopers</I> being the definitive example).

[Mozley]

Pitch Black Region 2 is my candidate.
The box proclaims that a feature called "Into Pitch Black -- a sequel to the motion picture" is included (a 45-min Sci-Fi channel special which details the background/backstory of characters from the film, including Vin Diesel, so I have heard).

This was on the Region 1 disc and advertised for the Region 2. But in fact all we get for R.2 is a lame 5-min "Documentary" with a voice-over by the Video Trailer Guy with the voice of The Kurgen. I wrote to Columbia Tristar ages ago, several times, but they haven't offered a decent explanation and their website is still falsely advertising the disc. Trading standards don't seem interested either.

Best extras ever:
Commentaries: Fight Club, Phantom Menace, Leage of Gentlemen s.1.
Deleted scenes: Alien (some are unintentionally hilarious!)
Documentaries: Phantom Menace, Dusk till Dawn

[Arch Stanton]

Can't beleave no ones mentioned Men in Black or Fight Club.

These disc's contain more fluff than a fat man's belly button.